


we'll be okay

by Mellilla



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Minor Character Death, Other, yeah Thomas is a minor character bc he's a bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:14:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26076268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellilla/pseuds/Mellilla
Summary: if you made it this far, congrats, you finished!! golden ticket to the chocolate factory!! and yes, ross, I am hinting at that. hope you fuckin criedjk jk I'm soRRY but it was fun to write this stuff since I don't do it often.maybe I'll write fluffy happy stuff to soothe the pain
Kudos: 1





	we'll be okay

"When we reach the next town, can we _please _try to find a dollar store or somewhere?" Though the voice matched an adult's, the tone mimicked a child's easily.  
"For the last time, we don't need to find stores for useless things like razors, Cookie. We need to find supplies." JD groaned in response, having heard enough of the consistent begging.  
"Look, we could all use one. Especially Kaleb," she scoffed, pushing ahead of him and bumping the male aside in an effort to walk ahead of their small group. After she voiced her statement, there was a small whine, sounding rather similar to that of a dog's.  
"You telling me you don't like my fur?" Kaleb asked, keeping close behind with ease due to their drastic height difference.  
"For a werewolf, you have too much of it. When the hell do you start shedding?"__

__Just as she asked the question, arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up. Cookie let out a shriek, wriggling in his grasp as he pressed his face to hers. Laughter came from him, while she kept making empty threats if he didn't let up with the supposed assault._ _

__"Guys, you're gonna attract company if you don't shut up," Wes shook his head, tailing behind the group.  
"C'mon, she deserves it." Kaleb retorted, just to get a glare from the other two males, then finally dropped her with a long sigh.  
"Hey! That fall could've easily harmed me!" She threw her arms in the air, then composed herself before speeding up to get back in the front. It was a challenge to keep her place, as the three were rather tall compared to her, making them naturally faster._ _

__The conversation fell quiet afterwards, the four going through the woods but making sure they were still near the road, where the undead lurked, ready to tear apart the next living thing. While it did feel fun to bash heads in and have a game of who could kill the most, they were rather in a hurry to find their next spot to camp out and rest as night was starting to fall. For weeks, all four struggled to find a place to make a home, everywhere being either full of countless infected, or had territorial survivors, who were quick to turn them away as the males held features that marked them as anything but human. A cruel decision, but who could blame them for being scared?_ _

__Not only that, but there were people who still actively searched for them, wanting to either capture them for a sick game, or kill them where they stood. Knowing that, JD was the one to take charge of where they'd stay and go, having the better judgement of all of them. He wanted what was best, and while the best for Cookie would've been to let her live amongst a peaceful town rebuilt by survivors, she refused to abandon them._ _

__It felt like a long time ago, but her refusal made him realize they were all better together as a group. Besides, that would make him stoop back to being the shortest—a risk he would rather not take._ _

__Hours went by before they finally found an area to settle down. JD started making a campfire, keeping it a good distance away from where they'd sleep; for Wes's sake. But, it was good enough to light up the area. They already ate long before the night fell, finding something from a nearly looted gas station. The only thing left was to rest until morning, then continue their search for a place they would be able to call home without worry of being killed._ _

__"Everything's all set!" Cookie exclaimed, tossing the empty backpack aside and looking at the futon and throw pillows that laid on the dirt. She managed to stuff them all into one bag when they first started out, and so far, it seemed to work out well in her favor as they were in tact and comfortable.  
"Thank goodness; I'm exhausted," Kaleb groaned, dropping onto the pallet and kicking off his shoes._ _

__The other two boys followed along as Cookie got situated on the pillows, then held her arms out. Wes laid down on one side of her, Kaleb curling up at the other. JD always took for laying on her stomach, occasionally managing to poke around at the freckles dotting her skin whenever he managed to hitch her shirt up. For some reason, keeping his cheek to her bare stomach proved to be rather relaxing, though he'd never admit to such things._ _

__Either way, the boys were comfortable and set for the night, resting on the warmth of the girl and calling it good. Sleep came easy after the long days, though despite that, they were all on high alert._ _

__Especially her._ _

__That's why, as it neared dawn, she found herself a ways away from the group of boys, who still slept comfortably, though, now they latched onto each other. It wasn't like she meant to leave. There were footsteps that were quiet, but not enough to slip past her. So, she got up and had to investigate._ _

__One thing led to another. From luring out the thing making those steps, she found out it was someone who had followed them for awhile, finding the right moment to treat them like they were those undead and kill without hesitation. So, she only returned the feelings and followed through with those actions. Unfortunately, they had nothing worth keeping on their person, so she tried to make her way back to the group before they woke up, only to find a few infected slowly coming in._ _

__As high as her senses were, they were distracted by the task at hand of killing the undead and dulled by the desire for sleep. Otherwise, she might've been able to feel the pair of eyes trained on her, watching closely like a predator would do for its prey._ _

__Cookie knew she needed to return to the group, but it was like a trail she couldn't stop following. The numbers of decayed bodies increased, allowing her to brush off her feelings and focus on taking them down. Knives were bloodied, shoes had been stained when she landed her foot down on one's head. Still, she just couldn't seem to find a stopping point._ _

__Until–_ _

__"What the fuck were you thinking?!" JD's voice shouted, footsteps coming in closer as she lifted her leg up to grimace at the old blood covering her boot. She turned to look back at the direction of his voice to find the devil looking more of a mess than usual while Kaleb was more alert. Wes, still walking behind, was the only one who looked grouchy from getting woken up so abruptly._ _

__"Why the hell did you run off? Without telling anyone else, either; are you stupid?" JD demanded an answer as they finally caught up to her.  
"There was someone following us. You guys needed your rest so I handled it." She answered, wiping her knife off on her shorts before shoving it into the holster around her thigh.  
"It doesn't matter if we were up for weeks at a time, if you're planning to leave, you fucking tell someone because I'm not trying to wake up and find your dead body turning into lunch for those things." He exclaimed, keeping a steady voice._ _

__"Does it matter? I'm not a child for you to protect, I can handle myself if you couldn't see the trail of dead bodies." Her response would've matched his tone had she not given up the few hours of rest to go on her own spree. He noticed the lack of sleep, then shook his head and took the bags from Wes._ _

__"On his back. You can catch up on sleep while we make it to the next stop. Should be a city, hopefully we'll fuckin' find something." He exclaimed. She merely pouted, but didn't bother to argue. It was pointless, especially given the time of day._ _

__Reluctantly, Cookie walked over as the wendigo crouched down and allowed her onto his back. Her arms loosely draped over his shoulders, face buried into the crook of his neck as he started walking. It never bothered him to carry her, but he did worry when she and JD would argue. They were both hot-headed when they wanted to be, so it was always a task to try and settle them down and carry on._ _

__JD made sure everything was ready before they carried on, him and Kaleb having control of their luggage while the shortest of the group slept comfortably on the wendigo's back._ _

__While walking in the quietness of the morning, he thought about how panicked he felt when he woke up to find nothing underneath him except the futon. No warmth, or odd smell of cookies, nothing. That panic led him to shake Kaleb awake, having him track down whichever way she went as Wes packed everything up and follow behind. It didn't ease his mind when he saw a fresh body laying in the somewhat tall grass, blood all around and just waiting to attract a few of those things. Sure, they found her a little ways away, just fine, but the rare possibility of finding her like that body was an image he hated to imagine._ _

__The devil found himself glancing back, seeing the once annoyed look she had turned into a softer, peaceful expression as she slept with ease. Seeing her like that confirmed that everything was fine._ _

__Yeah. They're gonna be alright._ _

__The few hours of silence met their end when Cookie finally woke up. At first, her cheeks puffed at needing to get up. But, she soon accepted it and moved her arm, patting Wes on the back to let him know she was up._ _

__"Thank you," she spoke up, taking her bags from Kaleb once she got back to her feet.  
"It's no problem. Well, since you're lighter than those two," he joked, getting a smile from her as the other two scoffed and made looks back at them._ _

__"Well, whenever you two are done being all cutesy with each other, you can join us at the city." JD deadpanned, seeing the buildings come into view not far from where they were.  
"It's about time. Can't wait to hit up the stores and see what's left," Kaleb whined out, laughing shortly after while the mood around them grew lighter, as if the morning's incident was long forgotten.  
"Sweet! With a city this size, there's bound to be something worth finding." Cookie added._ _

__Their excitement showed itself through the increase in their pace, hopeful for what may be within it and if there was somewhere for them to rest comfortably._ _

__For once, luck seemed to be in their favor._ _

__A motel stood tall near the city's center, with a few doors still in tact on some of the rooms. A quick run through the place confirmed that the rooms with doors were completely fine, and going through the more mechanical parts in the main building proved to be helpful. JD ended up finding a control room full of switches and flip them on, which turned on the water supply and used the backup generators within the building._ _

__"See, I never understood the movies where places had absolutely no power or water. I'm sure if we find the place where their electrician's company is, we could get more shit powered on. Did solar panels stop existing or something?" Wes rambled, crouching down in front of their belongings to try and dig out all the clothes they had. The group found a decent room close to where the lobby was located and took shelter in there to keep an eye on the building if anyone were to try and destroy anything. The two beds in their room were pushed together, the boys finding comfort in how they'd been sleeping._ _

__"You sound like a nerd, dude." Kaleb stated, jumping on the bed and stretching out.  
"But not wrong. I don't think those undead fucks even have the capability of destroying power sources. To be honest, I'd blame humans," Cookie chimed in, sitting against the wendigo's back. "If they just stayed calm and didn't act irrational, hell, maybe we could still have a modern day society and treat undeads like.... Bugs, I guess."_ _

__"That would be asking too much of them, don't you know anything?" JD laughed, walking out of the bathroom. "Bullshit aside, if we're staying here, odds are, there might be places around to find new clothes. I don't know about you, but I'd like to have something nice and not covered in dirt unless you guys wanna see my entire ass."  
"Eh, it is a nice ass but we do need new clothes." The girl threw most of her weight back onto the brunet, then stood up and stretched out. "We still have the rest of the day to explore. Hell, I might even guess we have more than a day."  
"Then let's get our asses in gear!" Kaleb shouted, rolling off the bed and jumping up to his feet._ _

__After Wes finished sorting out their belongings, he stood up and started making his way to the door with the rest of their small group. The day held so much relief and excitement for them, finding somewhere that hadn't been overrun by humans who were too scared of the outside world and would threaten those who didn't resemble them._ _

__But, it was all in the past. Things could still look up for them, and probably turn out better than how others were living: a sheltered life, as if this outbreak didn't exist._ _

__"There's a book store we gotta check out. Maybe there'll be magazines for short ass over here," Wes joked, nudging JD as they walked down the empty streets.  
"Oh fuck off," he yelled in response, shoving his hands into his pockets.  
"Yeah, porno magazines are lame compared to a real ass like mine," Cookie commented with a laugh.  
"Whatever, just shut up. Both of you." He groaned, walking ahead of the group._ _

__They reached the bookstore with ease, splitting off to check out the aisles that best grasped their interest. Though, a majority of the books had already been raided, there was hope for one of them._ _

__"Holy shit!" Wes exclaimed, sitting down on the floor at one of the four corners of the store. His loud yelling caught the others' attention, bringing them over to where he was. As happy as he looked, JD and Kaleb could only look with disinterest at the rather large selection of books he managed to find amongst the mess. And the worst part seemed to be how they were all in tact._ _

__"The apocalypse may have taken down the internet, but there's always an upside!"  
"You really got us to come over here to see that you fucking found hentai?" JD asked, annoyance lacing his words.  
"Really? Move aside, I wanna see!" Cookie yelled, shoving him out of the way before leaning onto Wes's back, laying her head on his shoulder as he held one of the books and started flipping through the pages._ _

__The two looked on with interest while JD and Kaleb decided to go back to looking through their own sections of books. It wasn't easy trying to find one worth reading, some of the books still within the store even had pages ripped out._ _

__Eventually, after going over all the options, there was just nothing worth taking._ _

__The only one who left the bookstore with the happiness to match a child's on Christmas, was Wes. The stack of manga books were in his arms, secured and going nowhere._ _

__"You're really excited," Kaleb commented, trying not to laugh at how the wendigo looked.  
"I needed this. Too bad JD couldn't find the porn he was looking for." He replied, laughing at the devil's annoyance.  
"Shut the fuck up and go beat off to some cartoon tits." He snapped back as they reached their motel room.  
"I think I will, and I sure as fuck will have fun with it."_ _

__"You guys are weird. C'mon, Cookie. Let's go see about finding food." Kaleb shook his head, tossing an arm around the girl and tugging her off.  
"Yeah, I don't know if I wanna be here for the aftermath of Wes and his journey through unread books." She replied, laughing as the brunet rolled his eyes and stepped into the room._ _

__The two walked off, taking another direction to try and find somewhere that could possibly have food. The werewolf put the girl on his shoulders to keep a fast pace as their bookstore journey took up the entirety of their afternoon. Seeing the city look so empty of life always seemed to secure the idea that this was really happening. That they were really thrown into the middle of a world where the population declined, turning into decaying corpses that still roamed._ _

__But the weird thing had to be how they found so few of those things since they arrived._ _

__"Really did not expect to find a hardware store still relatively stocked. That's a surprise," Kaleb exclaimed as they left the building and went onto the next.  
"Maybe we should rebuild our own lives here. Seems like this place is still in decent order for awhile." Cookie replied, hugging onto his arm to keep up the pace next to him.  
"You think so? I think it's a little... Off. I mean, good place, I'm glad we found it before anyone else. But it's like everyone disappeared." He went on, eyebrows furrowed as the thoughts carried on.  
"Either the people who really live here isolated themselves or maybe they all just disappeared under _spooky _circumstances," as she spoke the last part, her tone wavered as an added effect. It only made the wolf laugh and shake his head.___ _

____"I'm probably overthinking it. Let's just hurry and find food."_ _ _ _

____"You sure had a fit this morning." Wes teased, setting down his second book before calling it a day with reading.  
"What are you talking about?" JD asked as he attempted to fix the TV.  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Waking me up and taking off with Kaleb, scolding Cookie for killing a few stragglers."  
"Take a nap if you're so upset. And I'm not mad at her for killing them, I'm mad because she didn't say a damn thing about where she was going."  
"I don't think it was a huge deal. I mean, yes, she should've mentioned it but we're all capable of handling ourselves."_ _ _ _

____"Here's the thing, I'm practically immortal. You're a wendigo, it's not that easy to hurt you. However, the other half of this group is more fragile and easy to kill if given the chance. I wouldn't have a problem if you went off, because I know you wouldn't die if a horde suddenly swooped in." JD explained, giving up on the TV to turn and face the other. "And I don't know about you, but I'm not trying to lose anyone of you idiots."  
"Oh, so the badass does have a soft side! Typical," the taller male joked, laughing before dodging a pillow being thrown at him.  
"Shut the fuck up. If we had more people, I probably wouldn't give a fuck what you dipshits went off to do."_ _ _ _

____It was a laughable claim, really. Wes knew that better than anyone how little truth was held in that statement. Hell, anytime it came to separating even for a few minutes, he could easily tell that JD was tense. He snapped more, the short fuse in his mind growing shorter until they were all together again. That's just how he worked, and Wes knew that. But, it did come off as a bad thing sometimes. If someone was gone just a little too long, they'd get scolded like a bad puppy. And, while he had reasons to being that way, it never stopped arguments from breaking out among the group._ _ _ _

____Then again, by the end of the day, they'd all fall asleep, comfortably together like they had been since they left their containment rooms._ _ _ _

____"Dinner is gonna be great!" Cookie yelled, opening the door and carrying things into the room. "The city is a fuckin' gold mine."  
"It's so weird, but hey, this might just be the best place for us so far. Comfortable rooms... I'm sure we could try and set up a solar panel type thing that Wes talked about. Grow our food supply. There are still a few places stocked up," Kaleb added, following behind with a couple boxes and setting them down by the door.  
"Sweet. Well, let's toss this piece of shit out while we're being all strong." JD commented, smacking the top of the busted TV. Kaleb nodded, then pulled it into his arms before going outside, presumably tossing it into another room that was already trashed._ _ _ _

____Cookie started straightening up and setting up a hotplate she found from the hardware store. A smile etched across her lips at everything they managed to scavenge out within a day of arriving to this city. It did seem off that the place was void of anything living or dead, but after so much time spent walking the roads and taking out the hordes, maybe this was just the reward for their hard work. At least, it's what she wanted to believe._ _ _ _

____Soft humming filled the air around as Kaleb managed to pull out just a few things they all could wear for the day, then go in search for clothes more the next. JD had been the first to shower, covered in way too much grime to even be sanitary. Somehow, out of all of them, the moon deity stayed the cleanest. She faced the same battles they did, but still came out looking more pristine than any of them._ _ _ _

____"Alright, you're next." He called out, throwing a dry towel to Wes before pulling his own clothes on. The wendigo made a dramatic groan, then rolled out of their bed and shuffled into the bathroom that already filled up with steam.  
"You're a punk bitch!" He shouted after the door closed, getting a laugh from the devil. It was partially intentional to take a hot shower, because once he finished, it left the tall boy bumping into things while attempting to see through the fog._ _ _ _

____"Finally fuckin' clean after all this bullshit started. Almost makes me miss containment," he joked, collapsing onto the bed and pushing the hentai books onto the floor.  
"Hah, I don't think I'd ever miss that place. It was absolute hell." Kaleb replied, laying down with his eyes shut to enjoy the relaxation that seeped in. No worries of if they'd be safe for the night, no need to run after getting caught by others. It truly was a pleasant experience._ _ _ _

____"Dinner is almost ready, and I'll probably shower after eating," Cookie added, pulling out a stack of plastic plates to start getting everyone's food ready.  
"What're we eating?" The werewolf asked, sitting up and stretching out.  
"It's okonomiyaki, just a little different. Easy to make, good to eat." The four plates differed with how many cabbage pancakes stacked on them. The three boys had rather large appetites, and while hers could match, she'd rather stick with one._ _ _ _

____She handed the two their plates, taking the plastic cups and filling them with water from the sink so they'd have something to drink. While she did, the girl opened up the bathroom door and poked her head inside._ _ _ _

____"Hey, food's ready so unless you want cold dinner, hurry up." She commented, getting a thumbs up from Wes behind the curtain. Afterwards, Cookie closed the door again and sat on the floor next to the beds, slouching down with a sigh. "I'm honestly tired. We didn't do much but all this excitement has drained me."  
"Ain't that the truth. It was pretty awesome to find all this neat stuff, aside from the bookstore collection Wes decided to bring." Kaleb laughed, but did give the pile of books a weird glance.  
"If it's hentai, he's gonna take it." JD muttered, shoveling the food into his mouth. He grumbled a few other words, but they were barely audible between how quiet he was and the food muffling his voice._ _ _ _

____"You guys just don't know art when you see it." Wes commented, walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.  
"We also don't wanna see your dick either, get dressed." JD shook his head, looking away as the wendigo huffed.  
"At least one wants to."  
"Don't drag me into your petty arguments. Dress that ass and eat. I did not spend all this time cooking for you to keep stalling."  
"I'm eating, I'm eating! Let me at least get some underwear on since no one wants to see my dick."_ _ _ _

____Once he finished getting dressed, they all ate, holding small talk every now and then. They had discussions on where to go from there, and how they'd start reforming the place if they did choose to stay. But, after dinner, the other half of the group took turns getting cleaned up before they started to settle down for the night. The time was still rather early, but they all woke up before their usual time due to the panic JD felt after discovering their missing link, so it was pretty reasonable._ _ _ _

____Laying down, they got into the same position as the night before. Kaleb on one side of Cookie, while Wes took the other. JD climbed on and laid against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her. This time, however, he curled up, legs laying over hers as if he was silently warning her not to disappear on them again._ _ _ _

____"Goodnight, you goofy boys." She commented, shifting a bit to get comfortable. They all muttered their responses, which was barely audible, but she knew what they were trying to say._ _ _ _

____In a place that wouldn't make her leave early in the morning to check out why there were steps coming from around, the moon deity fell asleep with a secure grasp on the three._ _ _ _

____They thought they had finally gotten peace. For a week, there was a sense of security, that they could almost make out to be a warm feeling of finally having a place to call home. It was too good, managing to start up on everything they talked about. Of course, it was rather difficult because they really didn't have much of a clue on anything, but the longer they worked everything out, the easier it was._ _ _ _

____Anytime there was a need to go out, either one would pair up, or the group would go together. It was a large place, still holding many areas that were ready to be discovered for what they had. Like a video game._ _ _ _

____"So, we have the electricity source set up. I think I'd we can work on these other motel rooms, we can shape it up into a decent place. I know for damn sure we're not the only ones of our kind. So maybe if we're lucky, we can find others." JD explained, finishing up the last of his lunch.  
"It's a good plan, but that's gonna be a hell of a time, carrying doors from the hardware store, cleaning the rooms and making them decent." Wes added.  
"Let's go check out the neighborhood. Y'know, if everything goes well, we can find a working vehicle. If not, I'm sure we can role one of those dollies or find a shopping cart and race 'em." Kaleb laughed, though he was partially serious on the thought._ _ _ _

____"And while you boys are getting that done, I found a few stores designed for gals like myself, so that's where I'll spend my afternoon." Cookie chimed in, standing up and tossing her plate into the trash.  
"Kaleb will go with you," JD deadpanned, not bothering to look up from the little food he had left.  
"It's fine, I'll be alright on my own." She replied, waving a hand to brush off his statement.  
"I'm not asking. Either he goes with you, or you're not leaving."_ _ _ _

____His words held a serious tone, as if they were discussing matters that actually mattered aside from who went where. The response he gave managed to silence the room, even, as she turned to give him a look._ _ _ _

____"Are you kidding me?" She asked, arms folded over her chest.  
"Guys, let's not get into it. Everything's fi–"  
"You can't be going off on your own. Damn near scared us when we woke up to find you missing," he paused to look up to where she stood, "so no, I'm not kidding."  
"For fuck's sake, you're still pissing yourself over that? It was fine, all I did was walk away to handle someone who fucking stalked us and waited til we were asleep. A 'thanks' must be too much for you to say, huh?" She exclaimed, head tilting to the side as the two other boys felt the atmosphere grow tense.  
"You were more than a fucking walk away when we finally found your dumbass. Why did you even feel the need to go further? Even if you left to kill a guy, you should've come back instead of having us look for you. Do you not realize what the fuck is wrong?"  
"Well, I'm here and I'm all fine. So I'm going because I'm not a child you can boss around."_ _ _ _

____Before she could make her way to the door, he stood from the bed and grabbed her shoulders._ _ _ _

____"You're not fucking leaving if you think you're gonna go alone."_ _ _ _

____That claim lingered in the air as the two stared each other down, both too stubborn to let up. But, in the end, JD was worse than anyone of the group and almost never backed down._ _ _ _

____Sighing out in annoyance, Cookie's arms fell to her sides. "Fuckin... Okay, let's go, Kaleb."_ _ _ _

____The werewolf was quick to his feet, ready to get out of the room and away from all that tension in the air. Of course, with how their problem ended, he knew there would be some lingering anger from the girl. But, he felt like he could lift her mood up once they were at the area she so desperately wanted to go to._ _ _ _

____Walking through the city, they got to see new places that were relatively in tact. Glass walls to some stores were shattered; trash strewn across the empty streets. The wind picked up and scattered it further, but it did nothing to sway the two walking. As they continued the path to their destination, the girl refused to speak. Too frustrated with how things turned out. She knew she would be alright, and so did they. But, that didn't stop JD from making Kaleb act as her personal guard._ _ _ _

____"You know he means well, Cooks. We all know how you handle yourself, but it's still gonna worry us." He spoke up as she walked ahead, moving quicker to keep her place. Unfortunately, she remained quiet, teeth biting the insides of her cheeks to prevent any words from escaping._ _ _ _

____Kaleb sighed out, shaking his head at her stubbornness. But, an idea came to mind that might just do the trick to break down those walls of spite._ _ _ _

____Her breath was lost, escaping as a gasp when she felt arms trap her and pull her off the ground without hesitation. Just like before, a cheek covered with scruff rubbed against hers as he started laughing and swaying from side to side._ _ _ _

____"I guess if you wanna be stubborn, this means I can do what I want. You wanna keep being quiet? Fine by me!" He exclaimed in a singsong tone, hugging her tightly to his chest. Although she stood by her determination, he could tell it was cracking away at her by the way her lips struggled to stay in a straight line, cheeks puffed up as if it would repel him like a pufferfish. But, he didn't back down, continuing to make a dramatic scene while keeping their faces squished together until those walls shattered and she broke into laughter alongside him._ _ _ _

____"Alright, alright, you win! Put me down already!" Cookie squealed, trying to escape his hold.  
"That's my girl!" He replied, dropping her onto her feet again as she tried bumping him before walking along.  
"Jeez, you guys are so mean. Not letting me have what I want." She scoffed, though her anger subsided for the most part.  
"Because we care about you!" He grinned at her mock annoyance. "If you're still pissed, let's go break some stuff. Besides, what the hell is the place you were so desperate to go to all on your own?"_ _ _ _

____"None of your business! You're gonna be all weird if I told you."_ _ _ _

____He only laughed in response to how she reacted. Her frustration and fake annoyance turned into something more flustered and embarrased. A feeling of pride hit him as he saw her acting normal again. Walking at his side rather than ahead of him, latching onto his arm so they'd match pace, and looking around with curiosity at what else the city held for them. Kaleb enjoyed the small things about their group, and the way she tried to keep up with them while taking in the scenery ranked at the top of his list._ _ _ _

____Eventually, the moon deity caved into the idea of wanting to get the rest of the anger out of her system. Without any infected wandering the streets, it took away their main stress reliever. So, they managed to find an old thrift store while walking and took that as the chance to break some things._ _ _ _

____They wandered the aisles before Kaleb found two baseball bats resting against a wall. He hurried ahead and took them, holding one out to the other._ _ _ _

____"A bat for the lady. I think I saw a bunch of vases and plates over there," he gestured off towards a wall at the back of the store, nudging her along. Cookie laughed quietly, then held the bat into her hands and rushed over to start breaking anything within her reach._ _ _ _

____Distracted by the desire for destruction, it gave him time to wander around some more and look for things. He grabbed a shopping cart, sweeping through and taking any clothes that would even fit him or Wes, and shoving them into the basket. The shattering of glass and the sounds of harmless laughter kept the small grin on his lips while he roamed. Teddy bears and blankets seemed appropriate to grab, wanting to at least find something cute for her while her anger towards JD melted away. Usually, Wes would be the one to disperse any negativity within the group, but as it was, he stayed with the Jersey Devil to help repair some of the rooms before dinner._ _ _ _

____Once the shattering came to a stop, he paused and waited for her to come and find him. And, the moment she did, he laughed at how riled up she looked._ _ _ _

____White hair barely stuck in the sakura hairtie she wore. So, he walked over and pulled it out to fix it for her with a caring smile._ _ _ _

____"I can see you had fun." He teased, fingers combing through the bunched up hair before leaning away and feeling content with his work.  
"Hell yeah! I feel so much better. You're really amazing, so thanks." She replied, waving a hand before looking behind him. "Oh woah!"_ _ _ _

____Walking towards the shelf behind him, Cookie reached up and took off two pairs of skates from a stock of them and turned around. Kaleb looked to what caught her attention, then laughed at her interest._ _ _ _

____"I didn't know you skated." He commented as she sat down on the floor and pulled her boots off, lifting the rolled down socks up to her knees before pulling a set of rollerblades on.  
"Its been awhile, but I love it! How about you?" She asked, strapping them down before looking up at him.  
"I'd probably land on my ass the moment I stand up in em."  
"Fine, fine. But now I'm gonna skate around. This is fun!"_ _ _ _

____He reached a hand down to her, helping her stand up in the skates before returning to the shopping cart. They finished roaming the store not long after discovering the skates, to which she tossed her boots in with the rest of the stuff he found as she was committed to rolling around as means of transportation. Even though she had the skates on, she still held onto his arm until they were outside the thrift store, to which she started skating on her own, even spinning around just to add onto the skills she wanted to show off._ _ _ _

____"Just don't stray too far, okay?" He called out, looking across the street and watching her jump and land with ease.  
"You got it! The place I wanted to visit is just around the corner, so hurry up!" She replied, spinning around to look at him. The bright smile she had seemed to contrast with the sky, which he saw as charming, before realizing that it was starting to get a little darker._ _ _ _

____Glancing up, the werewolf blinked a few times before feeling drops of water hit his face. Huh. Well, it shouldn't be deemed all too surprising as they had no way to tell the weather. But, as he tried to figure out how hard the rain would pour, a shrill scream broke through the air and sent him into high alert._ _ _ _

____"Cookie?!" He yelled out, ditching the cart and running around the corner she disappeared by, only to jump back at the sight._ _ _ _

____The lack of undead around seemed to unnerve him at first, but now he understood why the city was so quiet._ _ _ _

____He couldn't reach her, separated by the infected filling the streets. They caught sight of her, and he watched her back up, even falling while trying to get away. Any weapons they carried before were left at the motel, because they were all so sure it was safe._ _ _ _

____Boy did he feel stupid._ _ _ _

____"Kaleb!" She cried out, rolling back and getting up to her feet again.  
"Get to safety! I'm gonna go get Wes and JD, okay?!" He yelled in response.  
"Don't leave me! Please, don't go."  
"You're gonna be fine. Just go take shelter, I won't be long. I promise you won't get hurt!"_ _ _ _

____He had to move to the side to avoid the staggering zombie, that aimed to kill. His eyes caught sight of hers, which were filled with terror and anxiety as he gave minor instructions. The place she must've wanted to go to had to have been the mall, as it was the building that stood behind her. So, giving her the reassurance she needed, Kaleb watched as she turned around and made off towards the doors, the skates giving her an easy path as more infected flooded the streets._ _ _ _

____He felt sick to his stomach, but shifted into his full wolf form to run faster. Everything would be okay. If they were all in the streets, then hiding out at the mall would be just fine. There were countless stores to stay in, she could even find something to keep herself protected._ _ _ _

____Cookie reached the doors to the mall. Her body slammed into one, groaning as she fell back. Though, her stunned moment last shortly as she saw the undead corpses getting quicker as they grew in closer to her. She let out a breathless yelp, shoving open the doors and rolling inside the building._ _ _ _

____At the front, there were two sets of escalators that were out of order, blocked off from people to use. And, looking further onto the first floor, she noticed more groups of infected and felt her stomach churn. If the escalators were blocked from their usual entrance, that meant nothing could possibly get to the second floor. With that thought in mind, she ignored the stinging pain on her elbows and knees, getting up and going to the side of the escalator before jumping the wall._ _ _ _

____She staggered up the stairs, looking ahead when she got up high enough and found her logic to be be correct._ _ _ _

____"That's what I'm talking about!" The girl exclaimed with a relieved sigh as she climbed the last step and slowly rolled off, looking over the wall and to the first floor. "Nothing can match my logic! All's left to do is wait here until the boys show–"_ _ _ _

____Her sentence was cut off as she felt her feet kicked out from under herself, landing her into the floor. It was a harsh drop, forehead smacking into the tile and getting a groan from her as she slowly pushed up with shaking arms before hearing a voice behind her._ _ _ _

____"It's about damn time you showed up. I figured I would've had to drag you out of that damn motel room myself."_ _ _ _

____Cookie had never felt such a feeling of bloodlust from anyone before. It was strong enough to make her freeze up, too scared to even turn around and face the man talking. But, she fought through it and turned her head slightly, just to feel a hand drop down and grab a fistful of her hair, yanking her to face him._ _ _ _

____"Look at me when I'm talking, you little bitch." He snapped, ignoring the pained scream she let out, reaching up and grabbing onto his wrist. Her heart pounded in her chest, feeling tears starting to well up as her eyes opened and stared into ones that looked almost.... Familiar._ _ _ _

____"The moon deity, right? What was your name again?" He asked, mocking friendliness with a tighter grip as he took enjoyment to the feeling of her trembling under his grasp. More silence came from her, turning his amusement to aggravation, reaching the point of lashing out. The hold he had loosened as his other hand landed across her cheek, sending her to the ground with a sob._ _ _ _

____"If you wanna use the silent treatment, I know how to make you squeal. So either you speak up, or I'll start breaking you down." Walking back to where she landed, he reached down and grabbed her wrist, yanking her arm up and grabbing hold of her ring finger before pulling back on it. The seething sounds of pain came from her as he grinned down at the helpless state she was in. Just as he went to pull back harder enough to crack the bone, he felt his vision grow blurry, releasing her altogether as a blunt pain soared under his jaw._ _ _ _

____The moment he went to break her finger, she kicked her leg up and crashed her foot into him. Her skates added onto the pain and sent him stumbling back, but in that moment of victory, a sense of regret flooded in right after. She needed to hurry and get the rollerblades off so she could make a run for it._ _ _ _

____"I'll admit, that fucking hurt." He laughed as she managed to get one skate off. "Now it's my turn."_ _ _ _

____Kaleb couldn't stop the feeling of dread that something was off. He ran as fast as his body physically allowed, reaching the hardware store that Wes and JD were walking out of with the doors for the other rooms. Their smiles and laughs at something Wes said quickly vanished when they caught glimpse of him—without Cookie at his side._ _ _ _

____"We need to hurry," he shouted, turning back to his humanly form.  
"Where the fuck is she?!" JD snapped back, feeling enraged at the idea that Kaleb may have ditched her for whatever reason.  
"We got separated... There's a fucking horde near the mall," he heaved out as the two looked at each other. It didn't take many words, but it was more than enough to give them a clue as to what happened. So, dropping the wooden doors, they all made a run for the motel to arm up with their weapons, then started to make their way back across the city and to where the mall was located. The dread seemed to be mutual among the three as they raced the streets._ _ _ _

____"How the fuck were you separated?!" JD shouted, checking his guns to make sure they were all loaded.  
"We were having too much fun and she skated off. Just around the corner. I-I didn't expect to be met with a swarm!" Kaleb replied, taking heavy breaths in an attempt to calm down.  
"We just need to take them out and save her, right? She's somewhere safe, right, Kaleb?" Wes asked, glancing to their wolf friend.  
"I told her to hide out in the mall. The buildings were empty anytime we checked, so if that's something to go by, then yeah. She should be somewhere safe."_ _ _ _

____He may have been the one to think it, but that idea didn't help the sickly feeling in his stomach._ _ _ _

____Everything hurt. Her legs were shaking horribly, trying to suppress the urge to throw up as she pushed herself to stand and face this monster of a man in front of her. The taste of blood in her mouth was unbearable, as was the feeling of it dripping from her nose and staining the shirt she wore. He, on the other hand, sported little injuries to no himself as he was a rather strong opponent. Stronger than she had ever dealt with._ _ _ _

____"You know, the man you killed a week ago? The one who followed you into the woods?" He explained in short as her eyes widened in realization, "you can never send a human to do an alpha's job."  
"You're a sick fuck. What the hell do you even have against us?" She asked, keeping her voice from wavering. But, it's not like a bold tone would help._ _ _ _

____"Nothing personal, kid. You see," as he paused to gather his thoughts, the man lunged forward. She dodged him, but his movements were quick. The heel of his foot landing into her stomach and having her double over, using the other one to kick into her back and knock her into the floor again._ _ _ _

____"We're all on that list. Y'know, the one that makes humans afraid to let us live amongst them because we're all hunted for some sick sport and put their lives at risk. Made a deal with the ones who started that list that if I could take care of their dirty work, life would be easier for me." His hand reached out and grabbed hair again when she curled up, dragging her towards the front of a store before slamming her face into the window and ripping another sobbing cry from her throat as the glass shattered around. He let go of her for a moment to see how far along they were, and how much longer his little game should carry on before dropping her over the edge._ _ _ _

____After finishing his examination, he reached down and grabbed her ankle with a crushing grasp, only for her to jerk back and stab a large shard of glass down and forcing him to let go. With the chance she made to get away, Cookie pulled herself into the store, coughing and wiping the blood from her mouth. She rolled onto her back, hiding behind a cardboard cutout of a train that fell off its display._ _ _ _

____Her hand lowered to her thigh, unclipping the holster and pulling her knife out. It was one of the smaller ones she used to cut simple things open, however it was useless to kill any zombies outside. But, maybe, it would help out now in the situation she was thrown in._ _ _ _

____"It's gonna be fun snapping your neck and watching those fuckers rip you apart."_ _ _ _

____Footsteps sounded slow, glass breaking even further under him as he walked around the toy store, looking around for the girl. It was rather difficult to pinpoint her by scent, but the shaking cutout train gave her away easily._ _ _ _

____"I found you, little lady." He stated, walking over to where she hid and leaned down before grabbing the cardboard and tearing it away._ _ _ _

____"Fuck you!" Cookie shouted, swinging her arm back, cutting the blade across his face and hitting his eye._ _ _ _

____He yelled out in pain, holding his face and stomping his foot on the ground as blood seeped past his fingers and down his hands and face. With that used as a distraction, she rolled onto her stomach and crawled off, forcing herself to stand again so she could make a run for it._ _ _ _

____Her arms felt heavy, there was so much blood. A pain she felt so many years ago, but refused to cry unless she wanted to make it worse._ _ _ _

____She held a hand up to her mouth, feeling the blood choking her up as the sounds of glass crunching reached her ears. Just as she reached the escalator, she was shoved aside and back into the tiled floor, which started to stain red as her wounds became worse._ _ _ _

____No more words were spoken, having made him reach an anger like no other. One that truly made her feel like she wouldn't see Kaleb, Wes, or JD again._ _ _ _

____"Jesus, I fucking hate the hordes." JD grunted, finishing off a zombie by slamming his foot into its skull.  
"At least we got through it. And! Mystery solved, the fucking city's population was here all along." Wes commented, more jokingly to lift the mood.  
"I'm just glad it's all over. Now let's go rescue the princess, find whatever store she wanted to visit so badly and go back to the motel." Kaleb sighed out, looking down the street at all the now officially dead corpses that littered the place. If anything, the three of them were damn good at what they could do, fighting without risking anything. It was nice to be a team made up of strong people._ _ _ _

____The three walked through the parking lot of the mall, making small jokes now that they finished the job. Discussing the trip Kaleb made to the thrift store and how goofy Cookie looked with the skates on. Rain poured down on them as well, washing off anything that might've gotten on them during the fight and providing a sense of relief as they reached the doors._ _ _ _

____"There are infected in the mall?" Wes pointed out as soon as the door opened.  
"If that's the case, I'm sure she's hiding in the bathrooms or somewhere on the second floor." JD commented with a shrug.  
"They seem to be gathered in one area..."_ _ _ _

____There was a brief pause as they all had horrible thoughts process through their minds. Wes flung open the door, just for Kaleb to walk in and be hit by a strong scent of blood followed by–_ _ _ _

____His eyes grew wide as he ran for the escalators, knocking the blockades aside and hurrying up the steps. The two others were following suit, that same smell hitting them and only making their worries grow worse. And, as they reached the top of the second floor, the trio stopped when they saw the sight in front of them._ _ _ _

____"Dad?!"_ _ _ _

____Standing at the edge of the floor, Thomas stood there with his arm extended out. Kaleb's voice was enough to temporarily pull him out of the blinded rage, to look back and find his son standing there with JD and Wes behind. The reunion wasn't that of a sweet one as they caught glimpse of what the man was holding once he turned his head._ _ _ _

____"Get your fucking hands off of her!"_ _ _ _

____His hand was wrapped around Cookie's neck, his hold on her harsh as her hands desperately clawed at his. As much as she wanted him to let go, that painful grip was the only thing keeping her on the second floor. If he did decide to release her, it would be into the crowd they noticed just as they walked in._ _ _ _

____"You missed it," Thomas laughed, shaking his head. "This little bitch put up such a great fight for someone her size. Such a shame I have a job to do. Maybe we'll meet again in the next life. Til then, best I feed you to the sharks and end your misery."  
"You're not feeding her to anything if you wanna fucking live, buddy. I don't give a fuck who you are, I will kill you." JD threatened, pulling out his gun and taking aim.  
"Shoot that thing off even once and I'll drop her."_ _ _ _

____Their eyes fell to the girl, who still struggled to breathe as her movements slowed down. If they didn't act fast, she'd be killed either way._ _ _ _

____"What did she ever do to you? As far as I would guess, you two never even met." Wes snapped, that fun attitude he had disappearing as he could feel himself shaking out of anger, a sharp pain in his chest at the sight.  
"This isn't any business of yours. Maybe she'll say hi to your brother for you. Or Dylan, even."_ _ _ _

____With all that happened in such short time, Kaleb finally understood this dread that shook him to his core._ _ _ _

____Thomas looked back to gauge a reaction from his statement, but that was the one mistake he had to make._ _ _ _

____Cookie's grip grew tighter around his hands, lifting her legs up and kicking the man in the stomach hard enough to make him stumble back. Just as he was about to recover, they both fell to the floor as the younger werewolf tackled his father, to which JD and Wes rushed over and pulled her back, the taller of the two holding onto her tightly._ _ _ _

____The older man flipped the new fight in his favor, pinning Kaleb to the ground and landing blow after blow, not caring how bloodied it was getting. Hell, they were all on the list, and rather than waiting it out, he might as well finish the four off all at once so he can move on to the next on his list._ _ _ _

____A loud sound ricocheted, echoing all throughout the mall as a bullet landed into his shoulder and stopping his actions. Another sound followed behind, lodging the second bullet into the other side, before a few more across his back._ _ _ _

____Kaleb didn't think about why Thomas stopped, he could only move on his emotions and what they told him to do. So, he kicked his dad off while he was stunned, the alpha male standing up to his feet before getting sent over the edge of the floor and into the crowd of infected below that was lured in by using the moon deity as bait._ _ _ _

____He stood there, looking down and watching the man struggle to fight back as they tore apart at him. It became too gruesome rather fast, the cursing and yelling soon turning into screams, so he favored in looking away to find Wes knelt down next to Cookie as JD lowered his gun._ _ _ _

____Tears welled up into his eyes as he dragged his feet across the floor, dropping in front of her and letting out small sobs as everything finally settled in. She looked out of it, eyes blank as blood coated her skin and matted her hair to the side of her face. He slowly reached his arms out and leaned forward, pulling her into a careful embrace._ _ _ _

____"I'm... Sorry. I'm so so sorry," he kept repeating, resting his head on top of hers as his body shook with each sob he let out._ _ _ _

____At first, she couldn't respond. Her body felt numb in an attempt to ease the pain. But, once she finally managed to steady her breathing and come back to reality, Cookie looked up and threw her arms back around him, ignoring how much it hurt as he pulled her into his lap, breaking down harder._ _ _ _

____Apologies started to become a mumbled mess, which was the only thing to fill the air as Wes and JD sat on either side of the two, slowly moving in to add comfort to the moment. The rain beat down on the mall, thunder rumbling in the sky to remind them that it was just another cruel day. Another day where they became targets, only this time, it was by someone well known to the majority of their group._ _ _ _

____The wounds across her skin with some glass still piercing it and the heavy smell of blood served the idea that this might not be the only time it'll happen. That someone else might come along and even finish what Thomas started._ _ _ _

____Walking away from the mall, Wes covered the girl up with his hoodie as Kaleb carried her in his arms. He didn't let go, nor did he even want to. All he wanted was to go back to the safety of their room and just forget the horrors that waited for them in this world. He wanted to lay in bed and be thankful that she was still breathing._ _ _ _

____And that's what he got._ _ _ _

____However, it broke his heart when they tried to get her cleaned up. The wounds were more prominent, and he could see the dark bruises covering her neck. Picking out small shards of glass that were covered in blood, forming a small pile before they were discarded into the trash. Wes did most of the work while Kaleb held her hands, trying to think of anything to talk about that wouldn't remind her of the events that happened that day._ _ _ _

____And as they got settled for bed, JD stood outside the room, looking out to the parking lot with half a cigarette in his mouth, trying to do anything to abandon the mere thought of what would've happened if he didn't have anyone join her for her journey to the other side of town._ _ _ _

____They were gonna be okay, now._ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it this far, congrats, you finished!! golden ticket to the chocolate factory!! and yes, ross, I am hinting at that. hope you fuckin cried  
> jk jk I'm soRRY but it was fun to write this stuff since I don't do it often.  
> maybe I'll write fluffy happy stuff to soothe the pain


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